


Double Trouble

by OctopusGuardian



Category: The Dark Pictures: Little Hope (Video Game)
Genre: Action/Adventure, Blood and Injury, Found Family, Slight Cursing
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-12-16
Updated: 2020-12-16
Packaged: 2021-03-10 21:21:22
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,785
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/28103865
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/OctopusGuardian/pseuds/OctopusGuardian
Summary: After condemning Reverend Carter in the past and saving Mary from sure death, the group leaves the ruined house in search of a phone. They are not finished with the past, however, as the four undead demons come back to finish the job, and the group must fight for their lives for the final time.You could interpret this as an AU alternate ending where the characters are alive all along or you could interpret this as an addition to the canon ending right before Vince tells Anthony about the diner. I just thought this scene was necessary and a lot of people seemed bummed about the canon ending. I needed more action from this game man. John picking up that sledgehammer made me yell in real life, I thought Angela was gonna be the one to do it after going through the sewer but John really went off.
Comments: 5
Kudos: 21





	Double Trouble

“So… I guess that’s it.”

Andrew blinked and shook his head several times, trying to regain his bearings. Taylor was right next to him, and they were back in the second story of the ruined house. He glanced at her as she wiped the palms of her hands on her shirt.

“I really wasn’t expecting Carter to be behind it all. That was a good call, Mr. Genius,” she grinned.

What they had just witnessed, the Reverend almost condemning Mary to die, was a stomach turner for certain. Andrew hadn’t even been sure himself if he was saying the right thing, but as soon as the court accepted the blame shift and the book Carter held was discovered to have strange markings, Andrew knew that he had made the right call. Mary had hugged him and thanked him, and a weight in his chest was lifted. Although they couldn’t save the other doubles, hopefully solving the mystery would put an end to all the craziness the group was going through.

Andrew followed Taylor downstairs, each floorboard sinking under his weight. The burnt remains of the house felt as if they would collapse any second, and Andrew was anxious to leave. He was exhausted, and as his eyes met with the rest of the group on the first floor, he knew they were too.

“What happened? Did you find the girl?” Angela asked, and Taylor let out a relieved sigh.

“I guess you could say that. We saw the Reverend trying to blame the kid’s double for witchcraft, and Andrew pinned it all on him. I think…,” Taylor took a deep breath before finishing. “I think it’s all over.”

The collective tension from the group seeped away at those words, as if speaking it into existence made it completely true. John let out a chuckle and leaned against a dresser covered in ash.

“Maybe we can finally find a phone without having to watch our backs constantly now,” he said, and Daniel laughed with him.

“Your monster wasn’t even that bad! Mine was chasing me almost the whole night! The damn thing had spears, too!” Daniel protested, still smiling.

“Well, when we get back to class, I’m still having you all do the assignment for this field trip. If I’m not fired, of course.”

“Oh, hell no!” Taylor yelled, and Angela let out a cackle at her distress. “You’re giving us a week off, no- a month off for this trip!”

“Good luck trying to change his mind,” Angela said with a sly grin, and was the first to lead the group out the front door of the ruined building. The group followed close behind, Andrew laughing along with the group but secretly relieved they were finally leaving. The house gave him a bad feeling.

As soon as the group made it past the porch, the front door closed behind them, and the roof of the house caved in, silencing the group’s mirth. They stared wide-eyed at the building, then turned to look at each other. The same thought was on all their minds.

_That could have been bad._

“Well,” Daniel broke the silence first. “At least we got out in time. Let’s get out of here.”

A small breeze blew through the area, making the house rock back and forth and ash and dust billow about. John led the way through the trees back to the main road, and the sun was peaking over the horizon. Andrew caught himself drifting away from the group several times and tried his best to keep up, but the cut on his head and his exhaustion from the night’s events was taking its toll on him.

The group slowed down to let him catch up and sent him a sympathetic look. Daniel and Taylor offered their shoulders and helped hold Andrew up on the way out, and Andrew mumbled out a thank you. He was going to sleep long and hard after he finally got out of Little Hope.

“Does anyone else hear that?” Angela spoke up ahead of him, and everyone stopped in their tracks to listen.

It was distant, but a rough sound could be heard in the down the road. The sound of metal scraping on the concrete, and Andrew felt Daniel’s grip tighten slightly.

John, to his credit, didn’t run immediately, but instead shined his flashlight into the fog in the direction of the sound.

“Who’s there?”

The sound got closer, and Daniel could feel the sweat rolling down his back.

_There’s no way it’s still after me. I thought all this was over?_

The fog parted, and the sight of not one, but all four demons heading towards them made the five of them freeze.

“W-why-?” Taylor sputtered, staring down Tabitha’s levitating form. Her head was spinning with questions that couldn’t reach her mouth.

“I don’t understand; I thought we avenged them?” Andrew muttered, looking not at the monsters, but at his friends as if they would answer his question.

The dead doubles took staggering steps forward. David tore one of the fence pieces out of its chest with a sickening squelch and held it firmly between its rotten fists. Tabitha’s rope tongue flicked about its mouth in anticipation, and the chains around Amy ground against the asphalt as it pulled itself forward with its one free hand.

Joseph was the fastest and made the first move. Their bones crunched as it tore towards John, letting out a growl from the back of its throat. John’s legs finally unstuck enough for himself to leap back to avoid getting crushed between Joseph’s arms.

“Run!” Daniel shouted, helping John to his feet before booking it down the road. Taylor and Angela were in front of him, and Daniel looked back just in time to see David aiming a spike in his direction. He threw himself to the left to dodge it, and the spear soared past his chest.

Taylor yelled in pain, and Daniel swiveled on his foot to see a large gash on Taylor’s leg, and the spear embedded in the ground next to her.

“Oh my god! Taylor!” He shouted and tried to scramble to his feet. Something wrapped around his knees and pulled him back down. Tabitha’s tongue wrapped itself around his legs and yanked him towards the advancing monsters.

“I thought they only went for their twins!” Daniel shrieked as he tried to free himself. Angela and John came up behind him and grabbed his arms, trying to break Tabitha’s grip, while Andrew helped Taylor to her feet and helped her limp away.

Amy was in range now, and tangled its chain around Angela’s ankle. Angela let out a yelp of fear as she was ripped down to the asphalt, and John grabbed her arm with his free hand.

“Shit! No!” He strained, trying to keep ahold of the pair as they were both being slowly drug down the road.

Andrew came running up behind them and right up to Amy, putting all his energy into a large kick to its head. Amy wheezed and the chain around Angela loosened. Andrew stomped his foot to Amy’s back, giving Angela time to untangle herself and help Daniel get the rope off of him.

Again, the group tried to run, but Joseph came back with a vengeance and tackled John to the ground, rolling across the street to the other side, stopping just at the tree line.

“John!” Taylor cried out, rushing in his direction. She was stopped as Tabitha hovered right in between her and John. The soft whistle of Tabitha’s broken airpipe could be heard over the commotion, and Taylor took no time in grabbing a stray tree branch to fight off her double.

David had recovered its spear and was heading straight for Daniel, who put up his fists weakly in defense. He was tired, and with nothing to defend himself with, the fight didn’t look very hopeful. Angela was by his side, glancing between Amy and David. Amy was still on the ground, but it was likely they would start approaching again soon.

Andrew panicked, looking at each of his friends. Who should he help first? John seemed to have made it on top of Joseph, and threw a kick into Joseph’s midsection. A loud crunch resounded as the bones shifted around beneath Joseph’s skin, and it let out a loud gurgle. Taylor swung her branch towards Tabitha’s head, and it connected perfectly to the side of its head. The rope tongue thrashed to the side and tried to grab the branch from Taylor, but she pulled back in time and ducked low to avoid any backlash from the rope.

_Daniel needs a weapon. He won’t last with that thing trying to stab him._

Andrew took a quick glance around the road. The sun was rising higher, and the light cut through any remaining fog around the area. His eyes scanned the ground for anything he could throw to Daniel, but only leaves and twigs littered the dirt.

“C’mon, c’mon!” He muttered frantically to himself, getting on his knees and brushing the leaves away for something, anything that could help Daniel.

A large rock caught his eye, and with a worried breath, he snatched it up and rushed towards the fight.

Daniel and Angela had made distance between David, who was still steadily approaching his prey.

“Here!” Andrew shoved the rock into Daniel’s hands and grabbed his shoulder. “I’m going to help the professor, you need to hold it off so we can book it out of here!”

Daniel nodded and held the rock in one hand over his head. David’s eyes glimmered with hatred at the brandished weapon, and it snarled in response.

“Be careful,” Angela spoke up, but stood her ground next to him.

Andrew rushed to John’s side as fast as he could. The man was trying his best to hold Joseph off, but it was clearly taking a toll on him.

John held his hip and groaned in pain, but still backed away from Joseph. Joseph’s wrists cracked and shifted in anticipation, but its face turned sour as it watched Andrew join John’s side. It went for a tackle towards Andrew and pounced upon his chest, holding his neck tight.

“Andrew!” John shouted, and despite his aching leg muscles, he let out another swift kick to Joseph’s side.

The undead man let out a sick cough and turned and glared at John, who wasted no time in pulling Andrew to his feet. Andrew choked out a thanks and grabbed John’s arm for support, staring down the demon.

Joseph looked back and forth between the two, sizing them up, before it lurched towards them again.

Taylor was doing well against Tabitha, who was being mercilessly beaten by a tree branch.

“Yeah! How do you like that?” Taylor yelled, lifting her arms up again for another swing. Tabitha shoulder tackled Taylor and knocked the branch away. Both fell to the ground and struggled for a bit. Tabitha couldn’t get a grip on Taylor with its tongue, but Taylor couldn’t get Tabitha off her either.

Angela grabbed the tree branch and smacked Tabitha right on the forehead, knocking her to the side enough for Taylor to push her off.

“Thanks,” she wheezed.

“Don’t mention it,” Angela answered, handing the branch back.

Daniel grunted as the spear sliced at his side. He barely dodged that swing; if he wasn’t careful he might get skewered. He slammed the rock down on David’s skull before it could recover from the attack, and pushed it away. It landed on Amy, who had been shuffling along the street as it tried to regain lost ground.

Daniel ran towards Taylor and Angela, stealing another glance behind him to make sure either monster hadn’t gotten back up yet.

“You gals okay?” He asked, looking past the girls to see Tabitha still prone on the ground.

“Yeah, we need to move though,” Taylor said, breathing heavy. Her leg was slowly bleeding, and it looked like it needed some bandages soon.

“Shit!”

The trio looked towards the last doppelganger, who had flung Andrew back towards them. John was on his back in a large bush. He scrambled to get up, but all the small branches and twigs scraped against his skin and the dirt beneath him was loose enough to give away towards his attempts. Joseph stalked towards him, a gleam in its eye as it grabbed John’s right leg and lift him upside down. It took a large swipe at John’s stomach with its nails, and John screamed in pain as blood erupted from the wound. John floundered with his arms as he tried to grab ahold of something, but Joseph quickly put him into a fireman’s carry and started walking into the woods with John captive.

“No!” Daniel shouted, but David was right behind him, and used a spear to grab him from behind and pin his arms down. Daniel struggled against the hold, but David held on tight and began taking Daniel away in the opposite direction from Joseph and John.

Amy and Tabitha had recovered as well, and lassoed their prey with their chains and rope, dragging each of their doubles away into the woods.

Andrew’s friends cried out for help and shouted each other’s names, trying in vain to reach each other, and Andrew was in the middle, turning round and round desperately trying to figure out what to do.

“Wait! Please! Let them go!” He shouted. They ignored his pleas and Andrew could see the fog growing thicker in the trees, heading straight towards each double.

_They’re going to be gone soon if I don’t think of something fast!_

“I’m sorry we couldn’t save you!” Andrew cried, hot tears rolling down his face. He collapsed to his knees and let out a sob.

To his utmost surprise, the demons stopped and turned towards him. Daniel and John struggled in their positions and Angela and Taylor tried to untie themselves, but none had any luck in getting free.

“We didn’t have the full story. We thought the kid was to blame, but it was Reverend Carter. He did some horrible things to Mary, and she needed help. I’m so sorry we couldn’t save you, but please, don’t hurt my friends,” Andrew pleaded.

The monsters remained still as they watched Andrew break down in the middle of the road.

“I don’t know why this is happening to us. I don’t know if this is reincarnation. Anthony couldn’t save his family either, and we just saw Abraham fix the problem back in your time. For our time, please,” Andrew cried. “Please don’t kill them. They deserve to live. I’m sorry you died back then, but they don’t deserve to die now.”

The fog stopped in its tracks just at the edge of the doppelgangers and their prey, and time seemed to stand still.

The gentle breeze came back again and the fog pushed back and evaporated into the trees. Amy let go first.

The chain unraveled around Angela’s legs and arms carefully and Amy freed herself of her own bonds before walking into the woods and disappearing.

Tabitha was next, uncoiling her rope from Taylor’s neck. Its feet hit the ground as they too seemed to be satisfied by Andrew’s words. Tabitha raised her broken neck and held her head high as she walked into the woods to vanish.

David pulled the unsightly spears from his body and let loose Daniel. He dropped the metal prongs to the ground, and they disintegrated into dust. As the dust blew away, David was gone from his spot.

Joseph held on tight to John and stared long and hard at Andrew. He watched Amy recede into the woods and disappear, and stood still in thought. It took a minute as he watched the other doppelgangers leave, before he too finally let John down and straightened up, walking back into the woods.

Andrew shook with adrenaline and emotion as his friends slowly inched back towards him and the road, unsure whether it was really over yet.

When the moment of hesitation passed, they all collapsed into Andrew and hugged each other, letting the tears flow. Taylor buried herself into John’s side as John comforted her like a father would his daughter. Angela and Daniel rested their foreheads against each other and cried tears of joy, and were the first to get everyone holding hands in a big circle. Andrew looked at his friends- no, his family through blurry eyes and let out a relieved laughter that echoed through the group.

They would get to a phone eventually, but for now, they could take a short break to calm down.

**Author's Note:**

> I had originally written this with an AU in mind as a sort of alternate ending, because I noticed a lot of people were dissatisfied with the ending and I myself could have used a bit more action. I thought the actual ending was fine, but I was disappointed that the characters I grew to love (John for me) turned out to be not real, and I loved the idea of a sort of supernatural reincarnation thing going on, so I wrote this piece. Upon rereading, I feel like it could still fit in with the canon ending as a scene before Vince tells them about the diner, but it could also work as a completely different ending as well. I wanted to focus on a family dynamic rather than any romance, mostly because 1. I prefer found family to romance heavily and 2. Because that weird thing with Daniel and Taylor being siblings in a past life maybe and I don’t wanna touch that lmao  
> It makes sense rewatching gameplay why the characters don’t seem to overreact when one is missing or presumed dead (because they were never real) but I felt like I needed that emotional attachment in these scenes. So yeah, I hope you enjoyed reading!


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